Story

Gabriella Marie Kusz was a caring and devoted wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend.  She was born to Michaelene and John Paul Kusz on September 24th, 1981 in Chicago and left this world on April 13th, 2026.

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Gabby was the oldest sister to Martena and Janelle, and was raised in a loving home with her parents and grandparents, Lillian and Michael Vucinic.

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She attended St. Tarcissus Elementary School and then Maine South High School in Park Ridge, IL.

Gabby graduated from Dayton University with a Bachelors and Masters in Accounting and Business Administration.  Through her affiliation with Dayton University she embraced the Marianist mission serving the poor and women that were victims of conflict in El Salvador.  This experience motivated her to focus on the potential of rebuilding communities through enterprise development.  She then studied at Georgetown University where she obtained a Masters degree in International Policy and Development.

 

Gabriella stayed in Washington DC working with CARANA, where she quickly became a valuable internal asset and interfaced with clients throughout the world, building robust financial structures to secure and ensure economic development with integrity.  Her work would later lead her to the World Bank and International Federations of Accountants (IFAC) in New York City where she played a significant role in the creation and implementation of several international finance regulatory models.

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It was in Washington DC where she met her husband Daniel Vallejos, at CARANA.  They were married in Chicago and settled in Norwood Park.  In 2015 they started their family with their son, Xavier and in 2017 brought their daughter, Vivian, into the world.  Xavier and Vivian were Gabriella’s heart and soul, bringing her deep love and joy. Gabriella was known and loved by her community for her compassion and good will.

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By John Paul Kusz

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